


Highway To Hell

by chinosarah



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Mormonism, Religion, Sexism, Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23797612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinosarah/pseuds/chinosarah
Summary: Joshua Graham's story from 18 year old mormon missionary to malpais legate. This is the series of stumbles before the great fall. Characters and warnings and ratings will change as new chapters get added.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've always been curious about which is the backstory of Joshua Graham and the origins of the Legion. As of the first chapter there is no rating or warning, but this series will contain rape and violence as the series progresses. It's the backstory of the Legion. They're going to do Legion things. Also this story is told mostly from Joshua's perspective in the third person so unless otherwise stated all of the views and thoughts on situations are Joshua's thoughts at the time the story is taking place.

Chapter 1- Don’t Forget to Remember Me

_18 years have come and gone_

_For mama they flew by_

_But for me they drug on and on_

_We were loading up that Chevy_

_Both trying not to cry_

_Mama kept on talking_

_Putting off good-bye_

When Joshua Graham thought back on the day he left his home a lifetime later, all he wanted to do was tell the boy he was “Don’t go. Stay here and save yourself and everyone else all the pain. Just stay in New Canaan.” But no one can change the past, no matter how much they may wish to.

18-year-old Joshua Graham stood in front of his childhood home adjusting the .45 on his hip. He wasn’t used to the gun on his side, he’d practiced with his gun for years but he’d never actually walked around with a gun before, New Canaan was well guarded and the adult men were the only people allowed to carry guns in the city. _That means me now, doesn’t it?_ Joshua thought. He still wasn’t used to being considered a man. It was funny, he’d wanted to grow up and be treated like a man for so long and now that he was a man it seemed strange. He didn’t feel any different than he did at 17. 

His mother brushed his dark hair out of his face. Her eyes were red, she’d been crying even though she was trying to hide it, it was obvious. Joshua had seen this whole routine before when his older brothers went on their mission. His mother cried in her bedroom before they left and she openly cried once they had gone. She was a good woman, a good Christian who perfectly fulfilled God’s role for her, his mother. 

“Now, promise me you’ll be careful. Stick to the highways, don’t go off wandering, don’t take any unnecessary risks,” his mother adjusted his hat for what must have been the thirteenth time today. 

“I’ll be careful, I promise. I’m doing God’s work, he will protect me.”

“And keep your hat on, you’ll get a sunburn.”

“I will.”

“And remember to fill up your canteen everytime you come across water.”

“I will.”

“And remember-”

“I’ll be fine Mother. Have faith.” Joshua smiled at his mother.

“I know. It’s just- You’ll always be my little boy. Always.” His mother finally took a step away from him. “There’s 200 caps in your backpack if you need them. That’s also where you’ll find your map and your Bible to help you find your way. Your father wants to see you before you leave,” Joshua began to turn and walk away when his mother’s voice stopped him. “One more thing. I love you Joshua. More than you can possibly know.”

“I know. I love you too Mother.”

His mother smiled and shook her head, tears in her eyes. “No. You may love me, but not as much as I love you. You can’t know how much I love you, not until you have children of your own. Just- Pray for your mother. This old woman needs all the help she can get. I’ll pray for you every morning and every evening. And come back to me. I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t come back, I couldn’t go on. Do you understand?”

“Yes mother. I’ll come back to you I promise.”

Of all of the lies and broken promises Joshua Graham had made in his life, this one would haunt him the most.

He waved goodbye to his younger siblings, picked up his backpack and set off to find his father. His father was a stoic, hard man with all the dignity a head of household ought to have. He wasn’t as affectionate as his mother was but women were always more emotional than men. They couldn’t help themselves. 

That’s what made them good mothers and homemakers, but that’s why men had to lead. Women couldn’t be trusted not to act based on emotions. They weren’t logical like men were. That’s why God made them physically weaker, men could kill to protect those they cared about. Women were usually too sentimental to kill righteously. 

Joshua’s father had taught him that while women weren’t fit to lead they were still the most valuable resource the world had. “Women,” his father said, “are not capable of balancing being righteous and necessary wickedness like we are. A good woman can be more pure and holy than you or I could ever be. She cannot conceive of the brutality that is necessary for survival. We must protect these good women because they are not capable of protecting themselves. They either die righteous or they try to emulate men and fall as Eve did. That is why while Colt may have made men and women equally physically capable of killing, we still must take up the burden. To guide and shield our wives so that they may give us sons that can be nurtured and loved as only a mother can.”

Joshua approached his father who was waiting for him at the edge of New Canaan with something black draped over his arm. 

“Ah, Joshua. I assume you’re ready to head out?” Joshua stood eye to eye with his father now. He had always taken after his father in looks, inheriting his dark hair and everyone said that soon he would be taller than his father. 

“Yes Father.”

“You know the way? And who you’re supposed to meet?”

“Yes. South down the Long 15 to 89. Then take the 67 at Jacob Lake down to the end of the road where I’ll meet nine Followers of the Apocalypse at North Rim.” Joshua had been over the route many times in his head, highlighted it on his map. He’d be alone on this journey and didn’t want to risk getting lost in the wastes. 

Joshua couldn’t be more thrilled with his mission. All New Canaanites studied the languages of the tribals but Joshua had a particular talent for it. He knew that his mission was not to meet these tribes as a translator but to spread the good news but he secretly was looking forward to testing his skills as a translator much more than being a missionary. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. There were two things in this life that Joshua was proud of, his knowledge of languages and his skill with his gun. Pride goeth before the fall but Joshua didn’t see how these skills could really lead him away from God, particularly his linguistic talents.

“Yes,” Joshua’s father replied. “You recognize the followers by the crosses on their coats. They look like the crosses our chaplains wear.”

His father held the black vest that was draped over his arm. “Take this,” he said. “Your mission will be dangerous. Our Lord will protect and guide you but still we can’t expect God to do all the work. This will help shield you.”

The vest was heavy and thick with many pockets on the outside and SLCPD SWAT written on it in white lettering. 

“Thank you Father,” Joshua said shrugging off his backpack to put the vest on. It weighed him down but it was better to be alive than to be comfortable.

“Make God and I proud boy. May God’s love be with you,” Joshua’s father stuck out a hand which Joshua shook looking his father directly in the eyes before putting his backpack back on and leaving New Canaan behind for what he didn’t realize would be decades. 

Joshua Graham set off alone into the wastes of Utah along the Long 15. He would not be the same man when he returned some 30 years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link for the spotify playlist for this work is here. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3t0IbxweWMzRzuHKytoix6?si=or6eQI9FRgCk_WQCGDpwhw  
> May have spoilers for future chapters if they are published. Will not have spoilers for non-published chapters.


	2. With God on Our Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua meets with two young men who will shape his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, I had trouble with some of the dialogue because my urge when writing about Christianity is to write from a Catholic perspective and it turns out Catholicism and Mormonism aren't the same! (Read: I started writing about the trinity without realizing that Mormons don't believe in the trinity) Who'd thunk! So I had to do more actual research than I thought I would have to.

Chapter 2- With God on Our Side

_Oh my name it is nothing_

_My age it means less_

_The country I come from_

_Is called the Midwest_

_I was taught and brought up there_

_The laws to abide_

_And that land that I live in_

_Has God on its side_

Joshua squinted up at the cabin the distance. He had been walking for two weeks now and if he had read his map correctly, he should be right up on the North Rim where he was supposed to meet the group of the Followers of the Apocalypse. The road had been blessedly boring, Joshua rarely ran into anyone and he didn’t run across any resistance. He had expected that in Utah but Arizona was a much different story. Arizona was thick with raiders and hostile tribals was Joshua was glad that he managed to avoid them while he was on his own. He doubted that he could fight any of them off now he was so exhausted from the road. 

The cabin ahead must be where the followers were since Joshua couldn’t see any of them outside of it and the canyon was the only thing beyond the cabin. Joshua brushed his hair out of his eyes, _I should cut this,_ he thought. His father would have made him cut it by now, but personal grooming had taken a backseat to other concerns during his trip to the Grand Canyon, he only really bothered with washing up and shaving everyday. He adjusted his black hat, he had made the mistake of not wearing it early on in his trip and the burn on his face still bothered him even if the redness was going away. 

_But what if they’re not in there?_ Joshua worried in the back of his mind. _What if this place is some sort of raider hideout and they’re not even here at all?_

Joshua pushed these doubts out of his mind. _No,_ he thought, _No, God is with me he would not allow any harm to come to me or them. He knows how important this mission is to spreading the Good News. He will protect his children. There is nothing to fear as long since God is on my side._

He attempted to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes and brushed off the dust and walked towards the great stone lodge. Joshua pulled the door open and fought the urge to have his hand on his gun as he walked into the building. Inside the building he did not find raiders much to his relief, he only found two men sitting by fire in the middle of the lodge, in the midst of a conversation.

Their heads spun around as they heard Joshua enter the building and they halted their conversation. The first man looked to be around 25 years old with brown hair and a prominent dark beard. The other man was younger, somewhere around Joshua’s age give or take a couple years and was clean shaven with short blond hair. They were both wearing lab coats with black crosses on them, just like his father said they would be wearing. It was strange seeing crosses on people who weren’t chaplins. Joshua knew there were other groups that believed in many of the same things as the New Canaanites that used crosses regularly to mark themselves as believers but New Canaanites rarely used crosses. 

The men rose to greet him. The older man spoke first “You must be our translator! It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Doctor Bill Calhoun and this is my colleague-”

“Edward Sallow. I was afraid they’d send us some old bastard like Calhoun here but you seem to be alright,” The blond man cut Calhoun off. He stuck out a hand towards Joshua smiling at him. Joshua shook his hand appraising the shorter man. Although he couldn’t have been much older than Joshua he seemed to carry himself as a man who was completely sure of himself with none of Joshua’s shy, reserved nature.

“Shit, you’re young aren’t you though? You look like you’re fourteen years old,” Joshua flushed at Edward’s words. In spite of being 6’ 1”, Joshua was always mistaken for being younger than he was for some reason. 

“I’m eighteen. I just look younger than I am.”

“Hmm. It’s fine, it’s fine. Some girls go crazy for the whole baby-faced, pretty boy thing,” Edward said, pulling a pack of cigarettes putting one in his mouth before offering them to Joshua.

“No, I- we don’t- New Canaanites don’t smoke. Thank you anyway.” 

Edward raised his eyebrows and snorted. “How boring. Have it your way,” he said lighting his own cigarette. “You have a name?”

“My name is Elder Graham. It’s good to meet you.”

Edward burst out laughing, startling Joshua. He didn’t know what he’d said that was so funny, he’d only introduced himself.

“No, no I’m not calling you that. _Elder?!_ Elder to who? You’re two years younger than me and seven years younger than Calhoun over here and you look even younger than that,” Edward laughed.

“It doesn’t mean that I’m older than you, it just means-”

“I don’t really give a shit what it means I’m not fucking calling you elder.”

Calhoun shot a glare at Edward as Joshua’s anger rose within him. Who was this man to mock him and the church. They needed him far more than he needed them. 

Edward seemed to realize his error and his face softened into something much kinder and more sympathetic, “Geez, kid, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that it seems awful formal for someone you’re going to be traveling with for some time. I’m just trying to be friendly. We’re going to be friends, right? I’m told I can come off wrong to some people sometimes if they’re easily offended. I just want to know your real name. I gave you mine, it’s really only fair that you give me yours.”

Edward’s sudden change in attitude surprised Joshua. Joshua must have misjudged him at first. “Joshua. My name’s Joshua Graham.”

“Joshua. That’s better. Call me Edward. Or Sallow if you like but for the life of me don’t call me Mr. Sallow or Dr. Sallow that’s way too fucking pretentious,” Edward took a drag of his cigarette and smiled at Joshua and slowly nodded. “I think we’re going to be good friends. Really you only have to be better company than Calhoun here which isn’t hard to do. _Trust me._ ” Edward said flashing a grin at his traveling companion who rolled his eyes. 

“Where’s everybody else? Are they in another room?” Joshua asked. He was supposed to be meeting several Followers of the Apocalypse and there were only two waiting for him. 

Edward and Calhoun turned serious and grim suddenly, looking at each other trying to figure out what to say. “Dead. They’re all dead. We’re the only ones left. It was a long trip,” Calhoun said grimly. 

Joshua was shocked. He knew that the wasteland could be dangerous but to kill almost everyone in a big group seemed inconceivable to him. “What? How? What happened?”

“Raiders happened. Bastards hit us before we could see them. Arizona’s crawling with the fuckers,” Edward snarled, fists balling in rage. 

“I’m so sorry. I’ll be praying for their souls. It’s a great comfort to know that they are with their King now,” Joshua said. Calhoun and Edward looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. _Ah, right. They don’t know yet. How stupid of me._ Joshua thought to himself. He’d begun to recall the script he’d memorized for his mission when Edward cut him off.

“That’s right. You New Canaanites believe in some pre-war god. But you believe he’s dead, right?” Edward asked, head tilting to one side.

“No, it was His Son who died for us and He was resurrected by the grace of His Father,” Joshua corrected Edward. 

Edward shrugged, “Be nice of him to extend that courtesy to others every now and again.” Edward puffed on his cigarette.

“He did. He has saved all of his children, I can tell you more about it if you want,” Joshua said, perking up and reaching into his backpack for his materials.

“As much as we would like to, we really should get going. It’ll be a long trip,” Calhoun stopped Joshua and began collecting his things. “You have a gun. Good. We may need it.”

“Have you ever used it before?” Edward asked, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stubbing it with his shoe. 

“Of course, I’ve been practicing shooting since I was seven years old,” Joshua answered.

Edward’s eyes met Joshua’s. His brown eyes were cold and intense and they sent chills down Joshua’s spine, unnerving him. 

“No, I mean, have you ever shot your gun at somebody?” 

The way he asked that question was so cold and unfeeling, so detached and yet so intense and curious it would stick in Joshua’s mind for the rest of his days. He never again heard anybody ask such a seemingly simple question in such a way.

“No,” Joshua confessed, his eyes falling away from Edward’s.

“You will,” Edward said, turning around and beginning to pick up his stuff nonchalantly as if the previous exchange had been about trying a new type of food. 

Within the hour they began their descent into that great chasm that would swallow up Edward and Joshua and churn out the Malpais Legate and Caesar.

**Author's Note:**

> Link for the spotify playlist for this work is here. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3t0IbxweWMzRzuHKytoix6?si=or6eQI9FRgCk_WQCGDpwhw  
> May have spoilers for future chapters if they are published. Will not have spoilers for non-published chapters.


End file.
